A Southern California man was arrested at Oakland International Airport after security officers found him wearing an unusual watch they said could be used to make a timing device for a bomb, authorities said Friday.

McGann was taken to Santa Rita Jail in Dublin where he was charged with possessing materials to make an explosive device, sheriff’s officials said. He was still in custody Friday night and could not be reached for comment.
McGann told Transportation Security Administration officers that he’s an artist and the watch is art, Nelson said.

Did you see that the watch had switches, wires and fuses and this part “While no actual explosives were found, McGann was carrying potentially dangerous materials and appeared to have made alterations to his boots, which were unusually large and stuffed with layers of insoles”. WTF kind of artist is he? Was this some sort of elaborate performance art or something more sinister? Weird story!

In the early '80s, I was taking a flight from Chicago to Hartford, CT (Windsor Locks). At the time I was a video game reviewer, and I had the new Intellivision II in my carry-on. I ALSO had the keypad overlay left in from the last game I was reviewing, a little Intellivoice game called "Bomb Squad". They questioned me even THEN. If the current rules were in place, I 'd probably would STILL be there.

Note the coiled wires, and the fact thatthe Intellivision II was not that familiar a game console.

11
posted on 11/17/2012 7:11:59 AM PST
by Dr. Sivana
(There is no salvation in politics.)

Isn't the average bomb-makers favorite timer a cheap pocket watch? Seems like I remember reading they like the old Bullseye watches. Common as dirt and impossible to trace.

They'd pop off the crystal, pull off the minute hand, then put the crystal back on and thread a screw into it so the hour hand would hit it when it came around. One wire to the watch case, and the other to the screw.....

13
posted on 11/17/2012 7:12:15 AM PST
by tacticalogic
("Oh, bother!" said Pooh, as he chambered his last round.)

They determined he wasn’t making a bomb and wasn’t a threat, but charge him for having what is essentially a strange watch? “bomb making materials”?

Our law enforcement authorities are becoming dangerous and out of control at virtually every level. I hope he can get good lawyers and sue someone’s ass off over this. Probably can’t/won’t happen though....

The guy did not pass-by someone on the street with an umbrella, as in your RIDICULOUSLY STOOPID example.

He WENT THROUGH AIRPORT SECFURITY with items which could be clearly and easily considered as bomb making materials.

Get it? He had an obviously extravagently wired watch (art??) and boots too big with extra padding in them. HE WAS LOOKING FOR CONFRONTATION as clearly as if he had worn a sign saying “I am carrying stuff to make a bomb”

If he had stuffed that ‘artwork’ and odd extra padding inside a briefcase, and sent it through the scanner it would have been flagged too and sent people into panic mode.

It doesn’t sound quite right, something else is going on. I suspect he knew he’d get hassled. Performance art? Was he wired in some other way, video and audio? A “watch” with fuses on it? Apparently visible? What, did he have some sort of complex about his height with all the insoles? Had to know it would show up in the security scan.

I don’t like the TSA at all because the nature of the organization, but there actually are people who would love to blow up or crash an airliner again. Security measures are called for. That the measures we got appear to be largely a PC sham that harasses innocent grandmothers and such while letting individuals who fit the profile sail right through is why they’re so detested.

If it wasn’t some weird arty thing then he was making a dry run of sorts, that or he’s very libertarian and was attempting civil disobedience.

You’ve almost certainly seen this passage from Atlas Shrugged here on FR before:

“Did you really think that we want those laws to be observed?” said Dr. Ferris. “We want them broken. You’d better get it straight that it’s not a bunch of boy scouts you’re up against—then you’ll know that this is not the age for beautiful gestures. We’re after power and we mean it. You fellows were pikers, but we know the real trick, and you’d better get wise to it. There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power any government has is the power to crack down on criminals. Well, when there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws. Who wants a nation of law-abiding citizens? What’s there in that for anyone? But just pass the kind of laws that can neither be observed nor enforced nor objectively interpreted—and you create a nation of law-breakers—and then you cash in on guilt. Now that’s the system, Mr. Rearden, that’s the game, and once you understand it, you’ll be much easier to deal with.”

30
posted on 11/17/2012 7:25:30 AM PST
by jiggyboy
(Ten percent of poll respondents are either lying or insane)

I’m not sure I understand your reaction. The whole steampunk aesthetic got rolling close to a decade ago and to my knowlege peaked about 2010. It was a reaction to all the electronics, all the virtual this and virtual that, all the plastic. People loved the realness of it, substantial, moving parts, sort of industrial with a wacky appeal, it was/is reto and modern at the same time. Computers with a nice wooden and nickel or brass case and one of those wild magnifying glass monitors, that sort of thing. It extended into apparel which is how I became acquainted, we had a few west coast customers requesting designs with a steampunk look and feel, several years ago. It sold in certain locations and sold on specialized internet e-commerce sites but never really caught on broadly. People didn’t know how to take it.

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.